Now You Can Buy a Metallica Christmas Sweater

Metallica generally isn't one of the first bands people's thoughts turn to when they think about the holidays, but that may be about to change.

According to a post on the group's Facebook page, the Metallica store will soon begin selling Christmas sweaters branded with the band's distinctive logo. "It's getting colder, holiday parties are about three months away and we want you to be ready for it," reads the announcement. "Keep an eye on the MetStore for the incoming Scary and Master Holiday Sweaters!"

"But wait," you might be saying. "They can't actually be serious, can they?" Well, yes ... and no. It definitely looks like these are real -- just check out that photo above -- but given that the band refers to this as 'The Sweater That Should Not Be' and added "(pause for reaction)" at the end of the post, we can safely assume that they're aware of the humor value in this garb, which is just as outrageously tacky as anything in your grandmother's holiday wardrobe.

Of course, as many fans will no doubt recall, Metallica isn't the first metal band to do this. Last year, Slayer unveiled their own Christmas sweater. (And if you're a hip-hop head, the Wu-Tang Clan has one too.) Now we just need 10 more bands to join in the fun so we can outfit ourselves for 12 cozy days of ear-blistering holiday hard rock.